The present invention relates to providing path guidance to users who are vision impaired or blind, and more specifically to providing accessibility path guiding through microfluidics on a touch screen to provide guidance between object fields requiring input to users who are vision impaired or blind.
Current mobile devices have built in features to help vision impaired or blind users to interface with mobile applications. For example, TalkBack™ provides spoken feedback to help blind or low vision users by describing what the user is touching, selecting or activating. Another approach is “explore by touch”, which enables users to hear or see descriptions of what they are touching and is used mostly for vision impaired users. VoiceOver® (a registered trademark of Voicebrook Inc.) is another solution which speaks items on the screen to the user. When a user taps the screen, an item will be selected and spoken, tapping twice will activate the selected item.
In other programs, when an application is coded, accessibility text for each object is assigned programmatically. This accessibility information is provided in an “explore by touch approach” and only reads out information when a user moves their finger over the object. This approach can be time consuming in that the user has to randomly move their fingers over the touch screen in order find the object they wish to select. This can become increasingly difficult if the screen is large.
FIG. 3A shows a depiction of a device with buttons raised through use of microfluidics. FIG. 3B shows a cut through of the layers of the screen of the device with buttons flush with the screen. FIG. 3C shows a cut through of the layers of the screen of the device with buttons raised through microfluidics. An example of a device which uses microfluidics to provide physically raised buttons is the Tactile Layer™ technology by Tactus Technology, Inc., of Fremont, Calif.
Referring to FIG. 3A, the device computer 52 has a touch screen 150. At least a portion of the screen 150 has multiple layers. A first layer 151 is the touch interface in which the user directly interacts with. A second layer 158 is present between the first layer 151 and a third layer 159. The second layer 158 has a plurality of holes 154. The plurality of holes 154 may be placed in specific patterns or formations in different portions of the screen. A reservoir 160 is formed between the second layer 158 and the third layer 159 and is in fluid communication with the plurality of holes 154 and a passage 153 formed between the second layer 158 and a third layer 159 in connection to a microfluidics supply (not shown). The plurality of holes may be distributed in various patterns.
In one embodiment, object fields or widgets of a particular web page or screen of an application are rendered on the touch screen such that the objects are overlaid on the touch screen 150 where the fluid 156 can form ridges and/or buttons. A processor or computer of the device computer 52 preferably renders the widgets or object fields with at least one or more intersection points with microfluidic passages 153 and corresponding holes 154 and therefore a ridge can connect touch points on the touch screen 150 and the ridges can be created between any two objects or object fields on the touch screen 150 of the device.
FIG. 3B shows the touch screen 150 in a position in which fluid 156 is not provided to the reservoir 160. When no fluid 156 is supplied to the reservoir 160, the entire first layer 151 of the touch screen 150 remains in contact with the second layer 158.
FIG. 3C shows the touch screen 150 in a position in which fluid 156 is supplied from a supply (not shown) to the reservoir 160 through a passage 153. The fluid flows from the passage 153 and reservoir 160, through the holes 154 of the second layer 158 to form a pocket 157 of fluid between the first layer 151 and the second layer 158. The pressure of the fluid 156 causes the first layer 151 to separate from the second layer 158 and fill the pocket 157. The pocket 157 forms a button 152 or ridge (see FIGS. 4-6) relative to the rest of the first layer 151. It should be noted that fluid may be supplied selectively to different portions of the touch screen 150.
Patents on the Tactile Touch™ technology include U.S. Pat. No. 8,154,527 “User Interface System”, U.S. Pat. No. 8,970,403 “Method for actuating a tactile interface layer”, U.S. Pat. No. 8,547,339 “System and methods for raised touch screens” and U.S. Pat. No. 9,128,525 “Dynamic tactile interface”, among others.